Enabling Efficiencies Greater Than 22.5% with Metal Oxide Passivated Contacts Using Low-Cost In-Line Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition Award Number: DE-EE0007533 CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.6 Solar Energy Technology Office Date: 6/23/2016...
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
June 11, 2016
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Enabling Efficiencies Greater Than 22.5% with Metal Oxide Passivated Contacts Using Low-Cost In-Line Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition
Award Number: DE-EE0007533
CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.6
Solar Energy Technology Office
Date: 6/23/2016
Location(s): FL
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to provide federal funding to the University of Central Florida (UCF) to increase photovoltaic (PV) module efficiency and reduce associated manufacturing costs by driving demonstrated lab-scale passivated contact technology into high-volume manufacturing of full 156x156 mm2 crystalline silicon (c-Si) cells.
Proposed activities would include the design, development, fabrication, and characterization of crystalline silicon wafers and PV cells coated with thin metal oxide films. Film depositions would occur at UCF’s International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research (ICAMR) facility in Kissimmee, Florida and at Fraunhofer ISE’s research and development (R&D) facility in Freiburg, Germany. Test structures and PV cells would be fabricated based on these films in UCF’s Nanophotonics Fabrication Facility (NPFF) in Orlando, Florida, at Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, Germany and at Suniva’s R&D facility in Norcross, Georgia. Characterization of the films and devices would be completed at UCF’s Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC) in Orlando, Florida; UCF’s College of Optics & Photonics in Orlando, Florida; UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Orlando, Florida; and at Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, Germany. The facilities in which lab work would occur are purpose-built for the types of activities being proposed; therefore, no adverse impacts to sensitive resources are expected as a result of the proposed project. No change in the use, mission or operation of existing facilities would arise out of this effort. The facilities have all applicable permits in place, and would not need additional permits for the proposed activities.